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copyright 2009 - Stephen Redgwell
A Rifle for the Do It Yourselfer
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| The Stevens 200 by Savage Arms |
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Why Bother Buying a Stevens? When
I was a teenager, it was quite common to see guys fixing up cars. This was when gas was .32 cents a gallon - before
the energy crisis of the 1970s sent prices through the roof. No one thought about gas mileage, just horsepower and performance.
You would go to the automotive store or the wrecker and pick up parts to make the old beater in your driveway come alive.
It was great fun, and if everything went right, you had a cool machine that was inexpensive to build! There was a genuine
feeling of satisfaction when you fired up the engine in a car that your dad had written off as a lost cause. Gas prices and
government legislation have made that a thing of the past, but you can recapture the "do it yourself" feeling with
a Stevens 200. I wanted a lightweight rifle that was easy to carry in the forests of northern Ontario.
The bush is thick up there, with uneven terrain. I did not want to lug something that was too heavy or easily damaged. A 7.5lb
rifle with a plastic stock, scoped and loaded, would work fine. A rough and tumble firearm was just the ticket. Whoever said
that life was too short to hunt with an ugly gun has never been hunting up there. Enough with the romantic crap.
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| Stevens 200 in 308 Win with oversized bolt installed |
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| A five shot group from my 308 Stevens 200 |
The target picture was the best of 8 - 5 shot groups fired while breaking in the rifle.
I used Prvi Partizan 180 grain pointed soft point ammunition. The worst group was 1.25 inches.
I like these rifles because they're so much fun to tinker with. I own three - a 223
Rem, 243 Win and a 308 Win.
It's a Utility Rifle! Think Jeeps...
The Stevens 200 is not an entry level or woman's rifle - anyone that calls it that just doesn't get it. The Stevens 200
is a utility rifle. It is the Jeep of the bolt action world. If you want cute, you can buy any number of pretty, shiny
or gold plated rifles that will have the urban gun club crowd oohing and ahhing. Those guys sure love pretty guns. Mine was
not purchased to put on display, so the argument about it being ugly or made for beginners doesn't wash - not even a
little.
The Stevens 200 is inexpensive because it does not have the bling that you see on many of today's guns. That's good because
most hunters don't need it. You're better off putting the money saved into a great scope or upgrading the trigger. If you
remember nothing else, remember that last sentence.
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| Stevens safety - note original bolt still installed |
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| Upper bolt is the original with oversized bolt below. |
The safety is located on top of the stock, just aft of the bolt. It's dead easy to operate using your thumb, with or
without gloves on. It's quiet too.
Accuracy was fine. I haven't hunted with the 308 yet, but I’ve used the 223 and 243 on coyotes, foxes and groundhogs.
It shoots the same as the other two, grouping around an inch at 100 yards. It may get tighter with the right reload,
but frankly, an inch is all I need. I'll still tinker with the loads, but it's really not needed unless you like to experiment.
The trigger pull is adjustable within a limited range. The rifles were ordered over a two year period, and as each
arrived, I adjusted the factory triggers to 3 lb. Once the mechanism is cleaned up and broken in, some hunters will be satisfied
with the pull. If, after shooting it for a while, you want something a bit lighter, you can order a Timney or Rifle Basix
aftermarket trigger. Personally, I didn’t like the gritty feel, so I replaced the one in my 223 Remington with
a Timney. I just ordered a Rifle Basix trigger to try in the 243. For $100 Cdn, it's a worthwhile investment.
The rifle carries and points well. That sounds like a glowing endorsement for a shotgun, doesn't it? It's true,
for me at least. Proper stock fit is often overlooked by hunters shopping for a new rifle. Like a new suit, it should
be sized for you. Factory stocks are an "off the rack" dimension. Recoil and accuracy are affected by how well,
or how poorly, your rifle fits when shouldered. If you're lucky enough to have a gunsmith that can properly adjust things,
ask about which changes can be made to the existing stock or which aftermarket rig to buy. I only wish that there were more
aftermarket stocks available in Canada. I'd like to build the 223 into a bench rifle. The lack of decent stocks
here makes the project tougher to finish.
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| Ken Farrell mount with Burris Signature Vee rings. |
What I didn't like was purely fluff and easy to fix. The stock colour is not attractive unless grey is your thing. Many
people have painted theirs, but I am too lazy. Frankly, people overreact to the colour. Like my old hot rod, buy some paint
and redo it if the appearance is so upsetting, otherwise, get over it.
One of the Internet bugbears is stock flex. The stock is adequate for what it is expected to do. It might be more of
a problem if you own the 7mm or 300 magnum. For the smaller cartridges, I don't see what all the fuss is about. With
my rifles, I never noticed the type of twisting that has been repeated on some of the online forums. You have to haul down
on the sling or wrench the forend with your hand to bend the stock. I honestly think that many of opinions about this rifle are
regurgitated. In other words, someone that has never owned or fired a Stevens 200 read about "limp stocks" somewhere and repeated
it, trying to sound like they know what they're talking about.
Perhaps someone larger or stronger had problems with the stock, but not me. Sure, there are better ones, but listening
to the Internet chatter, you'd think that you were holding a chub of baloney. It works. You can buy an aftermarket
replacement later if you don't like the factory one.
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| opening for staggered mag (top). Single stack (bottom) |
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| Old 223 stock (top). Newer stock (bottom). |
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The upper stock is older. It uses a staggered column magazine and pillar bedding. You can see the empty space
for the staggered column magazine. The mag is attached to the action.
The newer stock (lower) is a single stack magazine. The single stack is part of the stock itself.
My 223 was one of the first off the line at Savage and has a staggered magazine. For a while, it did not properly feed
the occasional cartridge. It spit the bullet tip up. I don't know if it was because it was new, but it hasn't done this in
several hundred shots so I am convinced it was just a part of the break in. My 243 and 308 have the newer, single stack magazines
that replaced the staggered column. Feeding repeats with boring regularity.
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| Staggered magazine (top) versus single stack (bottom) |
The older staggered magazine that was part of my 223 Winchester (top) was fixed to the action. The newer single
stacks are affixed to the stock.
In the end, your rifle is a tool. It has to fit properly to be accurate and keep felt recoil tolerable. It
has to be able to take any abuse that you or the terrain can dish out. It has to be reliable and well built. If you can get
all that at a good price, so much the better. I believe that the Stevens 200 does this, out of the box.
Despite all that, there are shooters that just can't leave things alone. If you're a hopeless tinkerer, Savage actions
are much more user friendly for the do it yourself gunsmith. With a little care, you can change barrels, stocks and even replace
the trigger in your home workshop.
Re-building your Hot Rod
Here's what I did to my 243 to re-build it. The beauty of the Stevens is that you can make improvements as your wallet
allows AND have a working rifle throughout. Spend some time learning about these rifles and you'll be able to do many
of the modifications yourself. That means less time in the shop. All prices are in Canadian dollars. If you want
to convert the prices to US dollars, reduce the prices by 20%.
My Stevens 200 - 243 Winchester
Stevens 200 rifle - $300
Ken Farrell scope mount* - $75
Burris Signature Vee rings - $50
3-10 Bushnell Elite
3200 scope - $275
Rifle Basix trigger - $100
Total - $800
$800 got me a rifle with an excellent mount, rings and scope. Of course, I could have gone cheaper with the rings and
mounts. Weaver bases and rings are only $30-$35. I could have used a Bushnell Legend 3-9 or 4-12 for $150 to $200. That would
have brought the build price down to $535. The basic platform is solid but inexpensive however, so spending extra on the glass
and mounts is a smart investment.
* Farrell mounts are high quality, steel mounts for Weaver style rings.
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Stevens 200 (Savage) Aftermarket Triggers
The original Stevens trigger (left). It can be adjusted slightly. You can find websites that describe how
to do it. The job is not difficult. A good place to start is www.savageshooters.com . On the right, an after market Timney that I installed in my 223. More Extras There is a segment of
the Stevens crowd that likes to shoot the moon (if you'll pardon the pun). They change the barrel, recoil lug and stock and
end up with a real tack driver. How much you can spend on the stock depends in large measure on the rifle's end use.
For hunting, a Bell & Carlson Duramaxx is fine. For competition or other applications,
you could install a McMillan or HS Precision stock. For this example, let's keep the price down and stay with the Duramaxx.
$800 was spent for the first improvements. Let's add some more. Shilen
Barrel - $380
recoil lug - $35
Duramaxx stock - $130 These three additions pump the
price up by $545 for a grand total of $1345. You must also consider gunsmithing costs if you cannot do these things yourself.
Ask you local shop for a quote. They are available in a short action 223 Rem, 22-250, 243
Win, 7mm08 and 308 Win. Long actions - 25-06, 270 Win, 30-06, 7mm Rem Mag and 300 Win Mag.
My latest acquisition: Action: Short
Caliber: 308
Winchester
Overall Length: 41.75"
Barrel Length: 22"
Weight: 6.5 lbs
Magazine Capacity: 4
rounds
Stock: Gray synthetic with positive checkering, dual pillar bedding
Sights: No sights. Drilled and tapped
for scope mounts. If you know someone that shoots a Stevens 200, please tell them about this
page.\ www.mysticprecision.com - For Canadians that need releoading equipment, Savage/Stevens parts, barrels, triggers, etc. www.savagearms.com will take you to their site. Click on Stevens to get to Savage's information page.
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